Improvement in machines for lining percussion-caps



2 Sheets--Sheet 1'.

ANDREW J. FRENCH. lmproveinent in Machinery for Lining Percussion Caps. No. 125,875, Patented Apri|16,18'72 2 Sh eets Sheet 2.

ANDREW]. FRENCH. Improvement in Machinery for Lining Pe rcussion Caps.

Patented Aprillfi I n mmZZr.

WwMsoe/s UNITED STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

ANDREW J. FRENCH, OF WATERBURY, GOXNEGTICET, ASSIGNOR TO AMBROSE I. UPSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINES FOR LlNlNG PERCUSSION-CAPS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 125,875, dated April 16, 1872.

To whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW J. FRENCH, of Waterbury, county of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinery for Lining Percussion-Caps, of which the following is a specification:

My invention relates to machinery for lining percussion-caps with tin-foil or other material designed to protect the fulminate contained in said caps, and particularly to that class of machinery for this purpose in which a carrierplate containing the caps to be lined is fed along under a gang of reciprocating punches, which punch out the tin-foilinto small disks or buttons, and press these buttons into the caps over the fulminate. My invention relates principally to the feeding of the tin-foil to the punches; and it consists in making that feed at right angles, or substantially so, with the line of movement of the carrier, the punches being arranged in a vertical plane transverse to both the strip of tin-foil and the carrierplate, and the latter being provided with parallel rows of holes for the caps, arranged at the same angle as the punches. My invention further relates to the means whereby the punches are held and adjusted to the devices for arresting the movement of the carrier, and to the means for actuating and operating the said carrier.

In the accompanying drawing I have represented the manner in which my invention may be carried into effect.

Figure l is a plan view of a machine made in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same, representing theiside on which the foil-feed rolls are situated. Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line 1 2, Fig. 2. The remaining figures represent detached parts, hereinafter referred to.

The bed of the machine is represented at A I supported upon a suitable frame or legs, B,-

and provided on its face with two parallel ways or guides, at, between which slide the carrier-plate O and the ratchet-bar D, interposed between one of the sides of the plate and the adjacent guide a. The ratchet-bar engages with the carrier by means of a pin, b, projecting from it into the side of the carrier. It is of such length as to feed the carrier along through the entire distance required, and is provided with a toothed or ratchet face, as shown in Fig. 2, which operates, in connection with pawl mechanism hereinafter described, to advance in succession each row of holes in the carrier so as to bring them directly under the punches. With the ratchet-bar I combine a drum, E, containing a coiled spring, and having attached to it one end of a cord, which, after being wound several times around the drum, is connected at the other end to the carrier, (and preferably to the front end of the latter,) eXtendingunder said carrier in a groove, 0, formed in the bed A forits reception. When it is desired at any time to retract the carrierplate the pawls are lifted away from the ratchetbar, and the spring-drum E, being thusfree to act, draws back, through the medium of the connecting-cord, the ratchet-bar and the carrier-plate connected with it. The mechanism for effecting the gradual advance of the ratchetbar and carrier consists of the moving-pawl d and the retaining-pawl c. The latter is simply pivoted to the side of the machine, and serves to keep the carrier in position and to prevent it from being retracted by the spring-drum while the pawl 01 is moving back to take a fresh hold on the ratchet for the purpose of advancing the carrier-plate another step. The moving-pawl is hungon the upper end of lever f, pivoted at g to the frame of the machine, and jointed at It to the end of a rod, 6, which carries a strap encircling an eccentric on the main shaft F. Through the instrumentality of these devices a back-and-forth movement is given to the pawl, which is thus caused to advance the carrier-plate step by step, according to the number and size of the teeth of the ratchet. The moving-pawl is arranged so that its free end will extend under the retaining-pawl, and a milled stud, j, Fig. 1, is arranged on the side of the machine, provided with a finger extending under the said moving-pawl, whereby, by turning said stud so as to elevate its finger, the moving-pawl, and with it the retainingpawl, will be lifted away and disengaged from the ratchet, thus permitting the carrier-plate at any time to be retracted. For the purpose of automatically checking the further forward movement of the carrier plate when it has traveled far enough, I make use ofa trippingfinger, 7;, extending across the path of the ratchet-bar and attached to the upper end of an arm, I, passing up through a slot in the bedplate. This arm is fixed to a rock-shaft, an, hung in hearings on the under side of the bedplate, and provided with a second arm, n, which has a stud or pin engaging with the slotted end of a eonnecting'rod, 0, pivoted to a bellcra-nk lever or treadle, p, as shown in Fig. 2. The lower end of the arm n has a notch a,

- which engages with a pin, q, on a lever-arm, r,

pivoted to the frame of the machine at 1' and shown detached in Fig. 4. The lever r is arranged to extend under and in close proximity to the shaft F, and that portion of it which comes immediately under the shaft is made concave, as seen at 1*, so that when necessary it may fit up closely to the shaft. On the exterior face of the arm, at the point where the concave r is made, there is also formed abeveled or cam surface, 11 Just above this portion of the lever-arm there is a locking-spline, S, arranged to slide longitudinally on shaft F, and fitting in a suitable socket or groove formed for it in a collar, t, formed on or attached to the shaft F, the inner end of said spline extending through the groove into a notch formed for it in the toothed wheel G, mounted loosely on shaft F, and deriving its motion from a gear, H, on the main shaft 1. When the spline interlocks with wheel G motion is communicated from said wheel to the shaft F, and the various parts of the machine actuated by said shaft. The lever-arm r is arranged so that its concave and can] portion will be under the spline and midway between two jaws or projections, s 8 on the under side of the same. The inner projection s is in contact with a plate-spring, t, attached to the face of collar t, as seen in Fig. 5, by means of which the spline is pressed into the notch in the wheel G.

The pin q on lever 1", when it engages with the notch in the lower end of arm 01, holds said lever down away from the sliding spline; but when the carrier-plate and its ratchet-bar have advanced far enough the finger 7c is pushed back by the ratchet-bar, thus causing the shaft on to rock and retract the arm n from pin q. The lever a", being thus released, is drawn up forcibly by a spring, 10, attached to the frame of the machine, until its concave rests on the spline between the two projections 8 The continued revolution of shaft F will now cause the projection s to travel over the cam-surface 1', which causes-the spline to withdraw from the notch in the wheel G, thus uncoupling the latter from sh aft F, which consequently ceases to move. When it is desired to start the machine again, the handlep is depressed, which, through the medium of a roller-stud on the handle pressing down on the lever 1', causes the latter to be lowered until its stud 1 again engages with the arm. The spring t now presses the spline against the face of the revolving wheel G and causes the spline, as soon as the notch in'the wheel comes around, to

enter the same, thus again lockin g the wheel and shaft. The handle 11, if desired, canalso be used to stop the machine at any time, this being effected by raising the handle until the connecting-rod 0 draws back the arm n sufficiently far to disengage it from the stud q.

As above indicated, I cause the tin-foil to be fed across the carrier-plate in a path at about right angles to the path of movement of the latter. The mechanism employed for this purpose is shown clearly in Figs. 2 and 3, consisting of a pair of feed-rolls, 'v v, geared together and held in contact with a yielding pressure by means of springs, one of said rolls being provided with a ratchet-wheel, o actuated by a pawl, '0 attached to the reciprocatin g arm '11), which in conjunction with a similar arm, w, on the other side of the machine, moves the punchhead. These arms are formed with cylindrical openings in them to permit of the passage of the tin-foil across the machine. In lieu of making these coupling-arms with cylindrical openings, they may have any other looped or equivalentformation, so as not to interfere with the transverse feed of the tinfoil. The strip of foil passes into the machine through the arm to, thence between the two plates, w x and thence between the feed-rolls c n, by which it is drawn by the machineacross the carrier-plate, its rate of movement being determined by the rotation of the feed-rolls, which move a distance equal to the length of a ratchet-tooth at each reciprocation of the punches. The punches y are arranged in a row in a vertical plane, which is transverse or at an oblique angle to the carrier and the tinfoil, as shown in Fig. 1. The punches are held in sockets formed in a metallic frame, y, connected with or making part of the standards J erected 011 the bed of the machine, and their upper ends pass through a perforated bar, 3 rest-ing on a movable head, K, which is actuated by the arms 10 w to slide up and down in ways formed in standards J. The bar y is confined to the head K by screws or bolts a, which also hold an upper bar, 1), containing vertical adjusting and pressure-screws 1, equal in number to and arranged immediately over the upper ends of the punches y. The bars g and b are separated by washers 2, which are provided with sleeves 3, indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 3, passing down through the lower bar 3 so as to rest on the head K, and being slightly longer than the thickness of the said lower bar 51 so that the latter may have a limited play, and the punches may be allowed to enter the caps in the carrier-plate before being pressed home by the adjusting and pressure screws 1. The punches y may be adjusted up or down, and are then held in position bysetscrews 4, while the pressure and adjusting screws 1 are adjusted and held in a similar manner by set-screws 5. The bar 1; at one end has a notch which fits under the head of the bolt a on that side, so th-at by loosening said screw, the bar may be swung back on the other bolt a as ahinge, to uncover the ends of the punches whenever required for purposes of adjustment or other reasons. The two plates, :12 m have each a row of holes formed in'them directly under and in line with the row of punches, and the carrier-plate is formed with a number of parallel rows of holes to receive the caps, arran ged' at suitable distances apart,

and having the same angle of obliquity as the.

row of punches. The arms w w are adj ustable up and down, as shown, so as to regulate the movement of the head K, and they are connected by means of bin ged rods w to crank or wrist-pins on the end of shaft I*.

When the machine is in operation, supposin g the punches to be elevated, the movements this way the foil is fed readily to the punches,

it is not liable to pucker or become damaged, and the operation can be carried forward quickly and easily. Several carrier-plates may be employed, so that when the caps in the one have been lined it may be removed, and an otherplate filledbeforehandwith caps, can be substituted in its place.

Having now described my invention and the manner in which the same is or may be carried into effect, what'I claim, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in amachine for lining percussion-caps, of the carrier-plate, mechanism for feeding the tin-foil or other lining material at about right angles across the path of movement of said plate, and a series of reciprocating punches arranged in a vertical plane obliquely both to the strip of foil and the carrierplate, substantially as herein shown and described.

2. In combination with the carrier-plate and ratchet-bar, the tripping-finger and the mechanism connected with the same, as shown,for automatically arresting the movement of the said parts, constructed and operating substantially as herein shown and described.

3. In combination with the mechanism for arresting the forward movement of the carrierplate, the lever-handle, arranged substantially as described, whereby the clutch or spline which'connects the mechanism for driving the carrier with the prime-mover, may at any time be thrown into or out of gear with said primemover, as set forth.

4. The combination with the reciprocating head and the punches, of the hinged bar, arranged on the head above the punches and carrying the screws, whereby the adjustment of and final pressure upon the punches is obtained, substantially as shown and described.

5. The combination of the reciprocating sliding head andthe punches, with the bar for supporting the upper ends of the punches, and the bar which carries the adjusting and pressure screws, arranged substantially as described, so that the said punch-carrying bar may have a slight play independently of the sliding head and upper bar, for the purposes set forth.

' 6. In combination with the foil-feed mechantially as shown and described, to permit the passage through them of the foil.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification before two subscribing witnesses.

New York, February 9, 1872.

ANDREW J. FRENCH.

ism, the couplingearms w m formedmsubstam. 

